Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Artist Statement
As an artist, I am a challenger, a revolutionary, and an explorer - in no particular order. Swedish playwright August Strindberg believed that “society is so horribly regimented” in its obtuse ideas of art, resulting in a drastic stagnation of theatrical innovation. This remains as real today as it did when Strindberg flipped the theatrical tradition on its head in the late 19th Century. I believe that by deconstructing the ideals that have been ingrained into us in terms of what theatre can and cannot be, we can redefine an outdated and inaccessible art form to reach audiences across time and space.
During the Fall Semester of 2018, I began translating Woyzeck, the dark and expressionist play by German playwright Georg Buchner, before I took on directing the production in the spring with a debut in February of 2019. Written almost two-hundred years ago, Buchner calls attention in the inequalities of class and status through archetypal stock characters in a small Bavarian town. Despite its age, Woyzeck remains one of the most popular German plays ever produced with a successful international run in countless styles and artistic approaches. Its longevity speaks to the work’s ability to communicate the presence of injustice throughout the world in ways that overarchingly relate to all people in all places and all times.
The process of translation from Hoch Deutsch - a complex German dialect more commonly spoken in the Northern part of the country - came with excessive challenges. The German language, while serving as a predecessor of English, boasts a vocabulary with few English equivalents. We have no word for Innerer Shweinehund or Kummerspeck, which translate to “inner pig dog” and “grief bacon” respectively. Additionally, Hoch Deutsch uses filler words such as “doch” that simply do not translate into English grammar. Beyond the dictionaries, textbooks, and native speakers I went to for resources, the most valuable tool at my disposal was adaptation.
Throughout this project, I have explored the relationship between playwriting and directing in order to find the most successful avenue through which to tell a story. Woyzeck is a uniquely German script that enforces distance between the urgency of the piece and American audiences. My adaption of the original material and my work as a director in the rehearsal room focuses on breaking down these barriers, speaking to a place that is immediately here and now. To achieve this, I experimented with new approaches to theatrical innovation, including storytelling through the physicality of the body, evocative imagery, and conventions that serve to upend the expectations of the audience rather than enforce them. This opportunity to playfully test new styles and methods will serve as the foundation for my research as I continue through grad school.
While adaptation allows for greater exploration of method and material, it’s impossible to avoid changes and discrepancies between the new and original texts. After a brief analysis of my approach to building Woyzeck as a playwright and director, recruited actors will perform identical monologues from three separate versions of the play. This performance illustrates not only the different approaches with which each Woyzeck communicates, but also highlights the significance of having a new text that can reach audiences on a local and immediate level. A play that addresses inequality across societies should interact directly with the world it’s attempting to change, and this is the first time Woyzeck will do that with American audiences, isolating its scope to the microcosm of Missoula, Montana.
Mentor Name
Bernadette Sweeney
Gained in Translation: Storytelling Through Theatrical Innovation
UC South Ballroom
As an artist, I am a challenger, a revolutionary, and an explorer - in no particular order. Swedish playwright August Strindberg believed that “society is so horribly regimented” in its obtuse ideas of art, resulting in a drastic stagnation of theatrical innovation. This remains as real today as it did when Strindberg flipped the theatrical tradition on its head in the late 19th Century. I believe that by deconstructing the ideals that have been ingrained into us in terms of what theatre can and cannot be, we can redefine an outdated and inaccessible art form to reach audiences across time and space.
During the Fall Semester of 2018, I began translating Woyzeck, the dark and expressionist play by German playwright Georg Buchner, before I took on directing the production in the spring with a debut in February of 2019. Written almost two-hundred years ago, Buchner calls attention in the inequalities of class and status through archetypal stock characters in a small Bavarian town. Despite its age, Woyzeck remains one of the most popular German plays ever produced with a successful international run in countless styles and artistic approaches. Its longevity speaks to the work’s ability to communicate the presence of injustice throughout the world in ways that overarchingly relate to all people in all places and all times.
The process of translation from Hoch Deutsch - a complex German dialect more commonly spoken in the Northern part of the country - came with excessive challenges. The German language, while serving as a predecessor of English, boasts a vocabulary with few English equivalents. We have no word for Innerer Shweinehund or Kummerspeck, which translate to “inner pig dog” and “grief bacon” respectively. Additionally, Hoch Deutsch uses filler words such as “doch” that simply do not translate into English grammar. Beyond the dictionaries, textbooks, and native speakers I went to for resources, the most valuable tool at my disposal was adaptation.
Throughout this project, I have explored the relationship between playwriting and directing in order to find the most successful avenue through which to tell a story. Woyzeck is a uniquely German script that enforces distance between the urgency of the piece and American audiences. My adaption of the original material and my work as a director in the rehearsal room focuses on breaking down these barriers, speaking to a place that is immediately here and now. To achieve this, I experimented with new approaches to theatrical innovation, including storytelling through the physicality of the body, evocative imagery, and conventions that serve to upend the expectations of the audience rather than enforce them. This opportunity to playfully test new styles and methods will serve as the foundation for my research as I continue through grad school.
While adaptation allows for greater exploration of method and material, it’s impossible to avoid changes and discrepancies between the new and original texts. After a brief analysis of my approach to building Woyzeck as a playwright and director, recruited actors will perform identical monologues from three separate versions of the play. This performance illustrates not only the different approaches with which each Woyzeck communicates, but also highlights the significance of having a new text that can reach audiences on a local and immediate level. A play that addresses inequality across societies should interact directly with the world it’s attempting to change, and this is the first time Woyzeck will do that with American audiences, isolating its scope to the microcosm of Missoula, Montana.